Tesco Bank customers are having a particularly painful start to the week, with a potential 40,000 accounts having been compromised by hackers over the weekend.

Money has vanished from around half of them, and Tesco Bank has halted online payments for current account customers to ensure the situation doesn’t get worse. However, they’ll still be able to use their cards for cash withdrawals and chip-and-pin payments, while existing direct debits will also be unaffected.

“We continue to work with the authorities and regulators to address the fraud and will keep our customers informed through regular updates on our website, Twitter and direct communication,” wrote Tesco Bank chief executive Benny Higgins in a blog post.

“We can reassure customers that any financial loss as a result of this activity will be resolved fully by Tesco Bank, and we are working to refund accounts that have been subject to fraud as soon as possible.” [BBC]